Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were back to work in two separate games this week - one in the Champions League and another in the Spanish league.
Both players faced rather unimportant Champions League tilts but had crucial fixtures in Spain to resolve.
Real Madrid managed an emphatic 8-0 win over Malmo in its final group game of the Champions League. In the process, Cristiano Ronaldo broke his own record for most goals in the group stage by putting up a whopping four tallies to produce 11 goals in the first six UCL games.
Here are some major takeaways from the game.
Barcelona and Bayern Munich appear to be the two best soccer clubs in the world right now, but who is better? Vote in our fan poll on who you think has the advantage in the UEFA Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo returned to his former self in a performance that was of the highest order as Real Madrid won 4-3 over Shakhtar Donetsk. Not only did the superstar score two goals, but he also created two tallies as well, putting in what is undeniably his finest performance of the season.
In 2010, Barcelona performed the "manita" on Real Madrid, taking down its rivals 5-0 on its home field.
It was arguably the finest performance by Barcelona in the Clasico and a defining performance of the tiki taka style that flourished during its "Golden Generation."
On Saturday, the team topped that feat taking down Los Blancos 4-0 in Madrid.
It was a match defined by Barcelona's efficiency in attack without Lionel Messi making a major impact on the proceedings. On the other end of the pitch was a Madrid team that had no answer for a Blaugrana side finding its stride.
In many ways this match was as much a show of Barcelona brilliance as it was of calamitous Madrid play. So what went wrong for Los Blancos?
Cristiano Ronaldo or Gareth Bale?
It seems that Real Madrid is intent on selling one of the two superstars next summer to create some roster flexibility.
The decision seems tough for a couple of reasons. On one had you have the team's all-time leading scorer and talisman. On the other you have a player that is set to be the heir-apparent.
